Oil temp gauge installations

ezcrusty's Autometer replacement for the clock

(ezcrusty replaced the clock on his R with an Autometer Sportcomp #3348 oil temp gauge.)

Just 'cause I was lucky not to destroy my ride with this procedure, doesn't mean you won't/ DOn't believe anything I say, or trust me to know what I'm talking about :^)

Choosing a gauge:

Note 2 things: 1) the depth of the support bracket to the back of Ute gauge bezel; 2) that the clock has 2 long threaded rods on the back of the gauge the bracket is secured to. You'll need to be able to re-use the black bracket on whichever gauge you choose, and reproduce the depth to it from the back of the gauge's bezel.

Installing the gauge -

  1. Remove windshield if so equipped.
  2. Remove chrome retainer screw for clock
  3. Pull clock out of the front of the instrument panel
  4. Cut light wire (grey and blue), leaving about 1/2" attached to the bulb in the event you want to reverse the process (i.e. at sale).
  5. Pull off ground (brown) wire and hit (red) wiring lugs.
  6. Tape up red wire. This won't be used.
  7. Clip lug from brown wire.
  8. Remove bracket from clock.
  9. Remove rubber band from clock and transfer to gauge.
  10. Remove black winder knob fro instrument housing.
  11. Join +wire of new gauge light with blue/grey wire from bike, and crimp together under same ring lug.
  12. Have a piece of suitable automotive wire (say, 18ga) available for the sender wire - about 3 feet.
  13. Install +wires on the I post (ignition) of the gauge.
  14. Install the 1wires on the gnd (ground) post of the gauge.
  15. Crimp a ring lug on the sender and mount ton the S (sender) post of the gauge.
  16. If using an Autometer brand gangue, thread the 2 knurled aluminum nuts down to the back of the gauge. This is the perfect spot for the black bracket..
  17. Snip the ground post of the gauge as short as possible.
  18. Slip on the nut bracket, and secure with nuts from your "parts box".
  19. Push the bulb assembly into the gauge.
  20. Thread the sender wire into the opening and to the left side of the steering column.
  21. Slip the works into the panel.
  22. Install chrome retainer bolt.
  23. Don't supertigten the chrome nut.

Installing the sender:

  1. Remove alternator cover - 4 hex screws.
  2. Bottom of this area has two blind holes side by side. The larger one is a shoo-in to be threaded with a 1/8 x 27 NPT tap.
  3. Thread in the sender (again, snug but not too tight).
  4. Use a hole in the bottom side of the chrome alternator cover to fish in the sender wire - plastic covers can be notched to allow cover to fit over the wire. See Cyclerob's photos below).
  5. Secure with ring lug to sender.
  6. Re-install alternator cover.
  7. Tidy sender wire behind oil cooler return pipe with small tie-wraps.
  8. Hide any slack behind wire harness near steering tube.

Estimated time end-to-end - about 2 beers,(or 1 hour, depending on your drinking skills)

 

A view of the finished dash. With the exception of the red needle, it looks pretty close to stock!

 

Sizing

A comparison of the stock clock (left) with the new Autometer gauge (right). Length of gauge is shorter than clock. You'll need to add a couple nuts on long shafts to hold retainer nut bracket out from gauge to equal click's depth. black retainer nut bracket is visible (look close)

wiring

note the brown ground wire is supplied for clock. I twisted it together with the black wire for the bulb and crimped a ring lug over the two at once. Added black wire for sender, red** for a switched source of +DC.
The stock red power wire for the clock is hot all the time, so can't be used.
Blue wire for the clock's light soldered to white wire for new gauge.

** In hindsight, I now realize I didn't need to search for a switched +DC source. The blue wire from the clock's bulb IS a switched source (DOH!) You'd just twist it and the white wire from the gauge's bulb wire together, and crimp a ring lug on both together to the I post on the gauge.
I wasn't thinking the bulb feed was a steady 12v ... on cars it varies with the dimmer setting. Bike has no dimmer.
cut ground stud
the stud for the ground wire must be trimmed after you install the ring lug and nut. It's about 1/16" too long, and will interfere with the square retainer nut bracket. The bracket has to be spaced off the back of the gauge and doesn't go down all the way, but it does need a hair more clearance than the stud allows.

ready to insert

  • Re-used rubber ring from clock
  • Lamp ground + bike ground
  • lamp feed
  • sender wire
  • switched +DC wire**
  • trimmed ground stud

retainer nut bracket installed & spaced off back*
*note measure from back of gauge bezel, not front. Clock's bezel is not as deep as gauge.
Also do something with the clock's black plastic winder knob. It's loose in the chrome back & will rattle. Silicone it into place or pull it out. Since I have the windshield, I'm not worried about water ingress.
OK - ready to go

**** In hindsight, I now realize I didn't need to search for a switched +DC source. The blue wire from the clock's bulb IS a switched source (DOH!) You'd just twist it and the white wire from the gauge's bulb wire together, and crimp a ring lug on both together to the I post on the gauge.
I wasn't thinking the bulb feed was a steady 12v ... on cars it varies with the dimmer setting. Bike has no dimmer

gauge back

To remove gauges, tilt headlight about parallel to ground for access.

Pull 'off' the the side trim pieces that have the turn signal arms going through them - these are just pressed into rubber plugs, no screws.

Remove the 4 phillips screws on the back of the guage pack.

Remove all 3 large round chrome gauge retainers.

I found a 1/4" drive rachet with a hex fitting was convenient for the chrome retainers. Especially found the 1/4" rachet with a 1/4" socket to hold a phillips screwdriver bit worked well to get at the 2 lower phillips screws.

In hindsight - one could remove ONLY the large retainer screw for the clock and just pull it out without disturbing the chrome back at all.

hmm where to install sender?

Red lines indicate my 2 choices.
Either T into oil cooler line (fat rubber hose), or tap threads into blind hole behind alternator cover.

CycleRob sez: If you use the cooler lines, your gauge won't move until the oil thermostat opens at about 172 degF. Then it will jump up to that temp, all at once. If all you are worried about is an overtemp condition, then that location will work OK. The (black) cooler feed line comes from the top of the motor on the right side. I'm going to eventually drill & tap a hole in the left side of the front aluminum auxiliary shaft cover (the one the black plastic alternator belt cover mounts to) so the sensor is always submerged in oil. That means taking the cover off to prevent drilling debris from getting in the motor.

final decision on sender placement

Thanks to Rob for pointing out the oil won't flow until it gets warm enough to open the t-stat. Decisions- decisions.

I opted to go for the lower blind hole. You'll see the sender just stuck in for now. Even not threaded in, the cover clears it fine. I'll bring the wire out the left side of the bike (right side of cover lookin to back), through one of the slots in the chrome cover. Plastic cover folks could drill a hole in the side if there isn't one already. I'll run the wire up and behind the cooler return line to keep it out of sight.

This keeps the wire away from the spinning parts. I likely use a bullet connector so the wire can be disconected easily to remove the alternator cover.

Tap is 1/8 x 27 NPT for sender itself.

1/8 what I don't know, the diameter is closer to 7/16".

switched DC+ source

In hindsight you don't need to do even this. The blue/grey wire feeding the clock light is a switched source. For whatever reason, while I was installing I had the notion it was a variable source - ie dimmer switch like a car, and needed to go to another source.

adapters

None needed if picking the lower blind hole (which is deeper than upper {wider} one). The sender fits the lower hole perfectly (& is closer to the oil) .

The gauge kit comes with 2 adapters. The smallest is pictured here and is too big for the top hole. A smaller adapter is available ( I have an iron one here for show - though 'd use brass). You'd have to visit your parts store ...

CycleRob's Daytona temp gauge install

 

This temp gauge is by far the best money I've spent so far on my bike! It was purchased from Lockhart Phillips, a common supplier of aftermarket parts to every motorcycle dealer. The retail price is $89.95 and it's L/P catalog # 400-34909. It comes on when you start your bike and both the "Atlanta blue" colored backlight and LCD display is powered by the bike. The specs are:


The most difficult part of the installation was the need to remove & replace the fuel tank to access an "ignition key on" power source for a professional installation. I chose to splice & solder the red (+) power lead to the light green (ignition on) wire in the only orange plug there, coming from the ignition switch, just under the top front of the fuel tank. The temp units black (-) wire I attached to the frame using the ignition coil's Allen head mount bolt just aft of & below the orange plug. Alternatively, you can run the (+) and (-) power wires under the fuel tank without removing it and find a power & ground source in the fuse box but I thought it best to remove the fuel tank for a shorter & more trouble free wire routing. What ever wire you end up using, DO NOT use the crimp connectors supplied. The plate's wire slot inside them is too narrow & it WILL cut some or your bikes wire strands, weakening it, as you squeeze it shut. Take the time & make the effort to SOLDER your connection!


For the sensor location I chose a protected location (the drain plug is not one) that would closely indicate engine oil temp. After close inspection of the entire motor, I found a blind hole the perfect diameter & depth behind the large black plastic front engine cover, that is a crankcase wall, several inches above the oil in the sump. This is the only logical location possible without taking the engine apart to drill & tap the sump wall, down low, where it's submerged in oil. Even though it's not measuring the sump oil temp, this area is heated by the torrential blizzard of oil fog & drops inside the engine when it runs. You need to borrow or purchase a 1/8 NPT tap to cut a few threads in the crankcase hole shown. When tapping the threads, only go in 4 turns to start. Then remove the Teflon tape from the sensor's threads, oil them & screw it in the hole. Ideally you want the threads to get tight JUST AS the end of the sensor bottoms out in the blind hole. If it doesn't bottom out & the threads jam, remove sensor & tap the threads less than 2 turns additional. Study the pics for more info. Good luck! --CYCLEROB--


 
   
 
A close-up of the 1/8" NPT thread sensor
Routing the sensor wire to avoid the alternator belt